A battery compartment switch is frequently used for switching hearing aids on and off. The battery compartment can be opened as far as a stop position, thereby interrupting the electric circuit. Battery compartments of this kind are relatively fault-prone and take up a lot of space in the hearing aid casing. Furthermore it is very difficult to achieve a waterproof connection.
As well as these battery compartment switches, standard switches and pushbutton switches are, of course, also used for switching hearing aids on and off. However, these standard switching devices have the disadvantage of requiring a lot of space in the hearing aid casing.
The publication DE 7011139U describes a hearing aid having a reed relay switch enclosed within the hearing aid casing. Said reed relay switch can be rendered open circuit by a magnet disposed outside the casing. The hearing aid can, for example, be stored in a receptacle when it is not being used. The receptacle contains a coil or a permanent magnet by means of which the reed relay switch is opened when the hearing aid is placed in the receptacle. What is disadvantageous about this arrangement, however, is that the receptacle must be to hand in order to switch off the hearing aid if no other switch is provided.